👐 Why Will Our Children Pity Us? A New Interview with Sam Altman
How does OpenAI plan to handle copyright? Is money corrupting the company? And what are the internal models really capable of?
TED curator Chris Anderson asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman a series of unusually tough questions about power, safety, and the future of intelligence.
Here's what Altman revealed:
💬 On Copyright: ChatGPT does not generate in the style of living artists. Instead, it draws on broader "vibes," schools, and artistic movements. In the future, creators might opt-in to allow their styles to be used—and receive compensation. But, as Altman admitted, "how you divvy up the money" is still an open question.
💬 On the DeepSeek Challenge: OpenAI is working on a powerful open-source model, near the frontier. When asked why the company continues spending billions on proprietary systems while open models rapidly catch up, Altman explained: OpenAI is not just building a model—it's building a product. And in that product safety isn't an add-on, it's foundational.
💬 On AGI: AGI isn't a single breakthrough—it's a curve. Models will keep getting smarter than humans. What matters is learning how to manage that power, step by step. Or, as he joked:
"If you got 10 OpenAI researchers in a room and asked to define AGI, you'd get 14 definitions."
💬 On the Future: Altman became a father in February 2025. He believes his son will grow up in a world where children are never smarter than AI—and where services by default understand people instantly. He hopes future generations will look back on us with pity and nostalgia, as those who lived before real progress began.
⁉️ One question for Sam Altman was generated by OpenAI's most advanced model, o1 pro:
Sam, given that you're helping create technology that could reshape the destiny of our entire species—who granted you, or anyone, the moral authority to do that? And how are you personally accountable if you're wrong?
Altman dodged a direct answer. Instead, he returned the question to TED curator Chris Anderson: "You've been asking me versions of this for the last half hour. What do you think?"
📱 Watch the full interview here.
More interviews with Sam Altman:
💬 On the Conflict with Musk and the Future
